We have spoken about sexism before. We have also addressed how men subtly propagate sexist ideologies in their day-to-day behavior. But that is not the complete picture. The story becomes much worse when women demean each other because of their sexist outlooks. This is also known as internalized sexism or internalized misogyny. 

A lot of times, women do not even realize when they are perpetuating sexist behavior even when they stand against it. The idea here is to be conscious of this societal bane that has gripped society to an extent that it has been normalized and internalized by both men and women. Here are some daily life examples for women to ascertain if they are being sexist.

ED Times

1. If you say “you’re not like other girls” with pride

2. If you slut-shame another woman for her choice of clothing

3. If you only ask your daughter to help you with household chores while your son chills every day at home

4. If you make fun of another woman for having body hair

5. If you think you vibe with boys as friends better because “with girls, there’s just too much drama”

6. If you blame another woman for your break-up with your boyfriend

7. If you are against other women standing up for their abortion rights

8. If you slut-shame another woman for being sexually active

9. If you try to make another woman feel uncomfortable and guilty about her body weight

10. If you say that you are not a feminist because you assume feminism is “anti-man” which it is not

11. If you stop your sons from crying by saying “don’t cry like a girl”

12. If you are trying to disguise dowry as “giving gifts” 

13. If you try to put another woman down just because you resent her or feel highly competitive about her

Seriously, we have myriads of regressive ideologies that are still trying to bog us down. That is enough. We don’t need to be mean to each other. 

If you are guilty of any of these or more, just know that you are not completely wrong. We have been raised in a world that is inherently sexist to both men and women. The solution begins with being conscious. We need to realize what is wrong and then evolve for good.